Uses his brain
Solves problems
Learns from others
Networks
Car shows
Passion for what he does
Simple explanations
Approach to problems is fantastic.
… Creates prototypes
… Creates patterns
… Reuses
… Makes big and whole then cuts back
… Does not look for perfect first, he works his way there
… Add layers to do finish work, fill and smooth, then paint

Checkboxes and radio buttons should be used in very different ways in a user interface.

A checkbox is for selection. Checking demonstrates inclusion.

Radio buttons are for a mutually exclusive choice. When you have 2,3 or maybe 4 options to choose from, use radio buttons.

A checkmark should not be used for a selection where being unchecked is not obvious. For example, one product I reviewed had http as a checkbox. So if you checked it you got http and if unchecked? Https? Ftp? What?

Radio buttons should not be used if you have more than 4 items. In that case, use a drop-down list.

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In structuralism, a binary opposition is seen as a fundamental organizer of human philosophy, culture, and language. -wikipedia

Participatory design is a design process that manages the stakeholders by including them and target users. Research, analysis and design are done with the stakeholders and users. Sometimes this is referred to as co-design.

Participatory design included the key client roles in the design process. We would meet in a room with the subject matter experts for eight hours. We would do the business analysis and walk-through the workflows. Then we would explore what the subject matter expert did. We would take this information and begin to design the application.

The advantage of the work is that the user is in the room with you as you design.

You spend days and weeks working on your latest brilliant idea. You have reviewed it with your colleagues and have tested it with users. You are now ready to show it to the key stakeholder.

You walk in his office and sit down. You chat a bit and then get down to business. You pull out your designs and start walking through. He asks a few questions and you answer well.

At some point the conversation turns. He starts saying how it is not what he expected. You point out that the users love it but he is not convinced. He has an idea in his mind that solves the problem in a better way but he is never able to verbalize this. He just manages to keep critiquing the design.

You leave frustrated.

What can you do to avoid this target practice?
1) Make sure you always bring multiple designs to a review.
2) Have the reviewer compare designs and identify what works and does not work. Avoid what he likes and does not like.
3) Involve him earlier in the process. Get his thoughts early on so you are not surprised by the questions.

A large part of design is about being an effective communicator. This requires gathering and reviewing information not only from your users but also stakeholders. As the process moves along continuous sharing and testing provides a mutually beneficial process of learning and ownership. Sharing multiple designs allows you to learn more about how people think. With all of this information in hand you can drive the stakeholders and organization to the best solution.

When you can see the whole path it is easy to know where you are. If you take a hike in the woods, the trail map lets you know where you are going and where you have come from.

When working on your computer or phone, it is impossible to see the whole application from one screen. Have you ever been online or in an application and felt confused- or lost- about where you are and where you want to go? You probably searched the screen for clues to help understand where you are in the scheme of things. One navigation technique that illustrates where you are and where you came from is a breadcrumb. Breadcrumb? Think Hansel and Gretel.

Defining Breadcrumbs

A breadcrumb is a device that illustrates each of the pages you have encountered before you have arrived at your current page or screen.

One way to think about this are using the pages in a book. Cover, copyright, table of contents, and chapter 1 are the first four things you encounter in the book. If you go in order and land on Chapter, 1 the breadcrumb will look like this:

Cover/ Copyright / Table of Contents / Chapter 1

Since the breadcrumb is made to help you while interacting with the computer, it can also be used to enhance navigation. To allow you to easily move back through the pages, you can navigate by using hyperlinks on the breadcrumb.

By clicking on the hyperlink Copyright, you will go directly to the Copyright page. This is very helpful when the breadcrumb is short. When the breadcrumb gets too long it becomes more difficult to use.

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Checkboxes and radio buttons should be used in very different ways in a user interface. A checkbox is for selection. Checking demonstrates inclusion. Radio buttons are for a mutually exclusive choice. When you have 2,3 or maybe 4 options to choose from, use radio buttons. A checkmark should not be used for a selection where […]